Fitzgerald likes confidence of his team

Players' goals: Win Big Ten and play in top bowl

Safety Brian Peters said "the sky's the limit" for the Northwestern defense, and superback Drake Dunsmore told NUSports.com, "I honestly think this is the year that we win the Big Ten championship."

Like spring training for baseball, August is a time for boundless optimism in college football, when fans read about their offensive linemen getting stronger and forget that every school has a weight room.

But there are legitimate reasons for Wildcats fans to believe, and coach Pat Fitzgerald did nothing Thursday at media day to quash that hope.

"I'd be disappointed if (Dunsmore) didn't feel that way," he said. "If he aspired to play in the Pizza City Bowl, I'd have a problem with our expectations.

"We have it on our goal board: We want to win the Legends (division), win the (Big Ten) championship and win our bowl game. Now what are we going to do about it?"

Here's what Fitzgerald likes about his team: It's stuffed with 21 seniors and led by an All-Big Ten quarterback who's protected by a grizzled line that has 137 combined starts. The defense functioned decently last season until Dan Persa's Achilles' tendon injury wrecked NU's low-turnover, ball-control style.

"We're not starting over here," said Fitzgerald, entering his sixth season. "There are a lot of teams in our league trying to reinvent themselves. We crossed that bridge a long time ago."

Michigan has a new coach and a radically new offense. Indiana and Minnesota also made coaching changes. Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor left Ohio State after ignoring the rules.

The Wildcats are accomplished enough to have made three straight bowl games — but angry about losing all three. And the defense still is stinging from allowing an average of 54.3 points after Persa went down.

Extra points: Persa is encouraging teammates and coaches to grow mustaches for the sake of bonding. "There's really nothing more embarrassing than having a mustache, especially when you can't really grow one like me," he said. Persa said the Wildcats are pushing Fitzgerald to "do the old Ditka mustache." Fitzgerald doubts he can: "That thing is well-groomed, kind of like Ryan Field." … Fitzgerald applauds NCAA efforts at serious reform: "We got a black eye because of a few poor choices — and rightfully so." … The Wildcats will practice in full pads Friday and Saturday before leaving for a week of training camp in Kenosha. … Jack Konopka, a Fremd graduate, has been shifted from offensive line to tight end. Fitzgerald called him "my most intriguing freshman."